1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a seat assembly in general and, more particularly, to a retractable headrest assembly for an automobile seat assembly although not exclusively limited thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some countries over the world, seat assemblies in automotive vehicles are required by law to have a headrest for protecting one or more vehicle occupants. The headrest assembly generally in use is now available in two types, liftable and retractable types. While the liftable headrest is specifically designed to allow the position of the headrest to be adjustable to suit to the position of, for example, a vehicle driver, the currently available retractable headrest is of a structure employed in combination with a pivot or retracting mechanism by which the headrest can be pivoted forwards or rearwards between a use position and a retracted position in which the headrest is accommodated inside the seatback.
In this known retractable headrest assembly, the retracting mechanism makes use of a combination of at least one spring element with a damping device, or an electrically driven motor. In addition, installation of the known retractable headrest assembly requires a relatively large space so as to hinder the field of view from a rear seat occupant and also to increase the weight and cost of the seat assembly as a whole.
Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to substantially eliminate the foregoing problems and inconveniences and is intended to provide a lightweight, inexpensive retractable headrest assembly employing an improved retracting mechanism effective to provide a relatively large field of view while neatly accommodated within the seatback.
In order to accomplish the foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention, there is provided a retractable headrest assembly for a seat, which includes a headrest assembly mounted on a top portion of a seatback for pivotal movement between use and retracted positions about a first axis; and a retracting mechanism for toggling the headrest assembly to either of the use and retracted positions. The retracting mechanism includes a first shaft member defining said first axis and coupled with a seatback frame, embedded in the seatback, and a biasing means for urging the headrest assembly rearwardly about the first axis.
In a preferred form of embodiment of the present invention, the retractable headrest assembly for use in a seatback includes a headrest having a frame structure embedded therein and having two spaced apart connecting portions. The seatback has a top portion formed with a recess configured to represent a shape substantially complemental to a shape of the headrest, so that when the headrest is in a retracted position, the headrest can be neatly accommodated within the recess. The headrest assembly may also include generally elongated connecting members each coupled at one end with a corresponding seatback frame embedded in the seatback so as to extend generally transverse to the associated seatback frame and axially aligned with each other to define a common axis and positioned on respective opposite sides of the recess, generally ring-shaped stop plates each rigidly secured to the respective connecting member so as to lie in a plane perpendicular to the connecting member, a bearing rod having its opposite ends coupled with the stop plates so as to extend parallel to, but be offset a distance from the common axis, and support plates pivotally mounted on the bearing rod and fixedly coupled with the connecting portions of the frame structure embedded in the headrest for movement together therewith. At least one biasing element is used and is connected between one of the support plates and one of the connecting members for retaining the headrest in one of use and retracted positions about the bearing rod. This biasing element is operable to allow the headrest to be toggled to either of the use and retracted positions as the headrest is pivoted about the bearing rod moves past a top dead center position defined on one side of the bearing rod opposite to the common axis.